Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Fontconfig head is null, check your fonts or fonts configuration

Aspose.BarCode Product Family
1

Hi Team,
Migrating jdk1.8 to jdk11, Received below error in higher region and it works fine in lower region. could you please assist
aused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Fontconfig head is null, check your fonts or fonts configuration
at sun.awt.FontConfiguration.getVersion(FontConfiguration.java:1269) ~[?:?]
at sun.awt.FontConfiguration.readFontConfigFile(FontConfiguration.java:225) ~[?:?]
at sun.awt.FontConfiguration.init(FontConfiguration.java:107) ~[?:?]
at sun.awt.X11FontManager.createFontConfiguration(X11FontManager.java:719) ~[?:?]
at sun.font.SunFontManager$2.run(SunFontManager.java:379) ~[?:?]
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(AccessController.java:310) ~[?:?]
at sun.font.SunFontManager.(SunFontManager.java:324) ~[?:?]

Regards
Arul

2

@arulsundarama

The error you are encountering, java.lang.RuntimeException: Fontconfig head is null, check your fonts or fonts configuration, typically arises when the Aspose.Cells for Java library cannot find the necessary font files on your system. This issue is often seen in environments where a graphical display is not available, such as in headless setups.

To resolve this issue, you can try the following steps:

  1. Run in Headless Mode:
    Ensure that your Java application is configured to run in headless mode. This allows Java to function without a graphical environment, which is crucial for environments like cloud services or Docker containers. You can enable headless mode by adding the following system property at the start of your Java application:

    System.setProperty("java.awt.headless", "true");

    Alternatively, you can set this property via the command line when launching the JVM.

  2. Install Necessary Fonts:
    If you have the ability to install packages on your system, make sure that the required font packages are installed. For Linux systems, you can install font-related packages to ensure that basic fonts are available. Here are some examples:

    • For Debian/Ubuntu, you might install fontconfig and ttf-dejavu.
    • For Alpine (especially in minimal Docker setups), you would also need to install fontconfig and ttf-dejavu.
    • For Red Hat/CentOS, similar font packages should be installed.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the font configuration issue and prevent the runtime exception from occurring. If the problem persists, please check your environment’s font configuration and ensure that the necessary fonts are accessible to your application.

If you need further assistance, feel free to ask!

3

@arulsundarama,

The exception you are encountering, java.lang.RuntimeException: Fontconfig head is null, suggests an issue with font configuration, particularly in a headless environment where no graphical user interface (GUI) is available. This is common in server environments where the system cannot access the default fonts or a graphical subsystem, such as when running in Docker containers or cloud-based servers.

To resolve this issue, you have a few options:

1). Run in Headless Mode
Since you’re likely running in a headless environment, you should configure Java to run in headless mode. Headless mode allows Java to operate without requiring access to a display or graphics environment, which is essential when running in environments like Azure or Docker.

You can enable headless mode by adding the following system property at the start of your Java application:

System.setProperty("java.awt.headless", "true");

Or set it via the command line when launching the JVM:

-Djava.awt.headless=true

This prevents Java from attempting to use any GUI-related classes, like font configuration, which is the root of the issue.

2). Install the Necessary Fonts
If you’re working in an environment where you can install packages, you can install font-related packages to ensure that basic fonts are available. For Linux systems, you could install font packages such as:

sudo apt-get install -y fontconfig

On some systems, it might also be necessary to install specific fonts, such as:

sudo apt-get install -y ttf-dejavu-core
4

Team, We have done the same and issue is fixed. Thank you so much for your quick response

5

@arulsundarama,

You are welcome. It is good to hear that your issue has been resolved using the suggested options. If you have any additional questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us again.